Shark-bitten sailor on Taiwanese ship saved, four missing

BRUSH WITH DEATH:：The sailor from Indonesia was plucked from the sea by another Taiwanese vessel after the boat he was on apparently caught on fire

AFP, TAIPEI

Mon, Jan 06, 2014 - Page 3

An Indonesian sailor survived a shark attack after being rescued yesterday after the Taiwanese fishing boat he was on apparently caught fire in the East China Sea, but four other crewmen are still missing, officials said yesterday.

The Coast Guard Administration said it was informed by its Japanese counterpart at noon on Saturday that the 26-tonne Cheng Tsai Li was drifting 35 nautical miles (65km) northeast of Miyako-jima, an island in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture.

According to information provided by the Japan Coast Guard, the ship was partially destroyed and showed evidence of a fire, the administration added.

The Indonesian sailor was rescued by the crew of another Taiwanese fishing boat, it said.